The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-01-14
state Prison Carriages.

40 Ute Eutt0T " Me Press.
Kindly allow us a small space In your
paper to state few facts regarding matter
which we think is being magnifed and mis-
represented-thatb being convict labor as used
In our State prison. We know Of but few
industries Of Maine which make less Of the
State consumption than the carriage indus
try. The best estimate we can get Is that
not less than ten thousand carriages were
sold in Maine in 1886, that were manufac-
tured in New York State and west Of New
York. One firm alone informs us that they
sold over one thousand. Add to that the
large number sent into the State from Ames-
bury, Mass, besides those sold In Maine
from other New England cities and towns
and they are many. The Boston dealers
state that Maine Is one Of their best fields,
and 1t will be seen that from 1900 to 1900
carriages were sold in Maine more than were
produced by the labor of the State, including
the prison. As long as this thing continues.
the competition Of the prison which the
warden states Is less than per cent Of all
the carriages used in the State can not be so
burdensome as is represented. c0uviots
must be employed. 1t would be brutal TO
imprison them in idleness. Is there any en-
ployment that can furnish such variety Of
labor as carriage building? In each depart
ment, wood, blacksmith, painting and trim
shop, portion OF the labor Is done In all car
riage manufactures by unskilled labor and
apprentices. That the constant change Of
convicts can adapt itself to.
Regarding the method OF selling this work
In Portland, would say, the Horse and Car
riage Mart have controlled those sales, and
while under the excitement Of stirring com
petition and q desire to make their adver-
tisements as attractive as possible, they may
nave been indiscrcet, and made statements
that had better not been made. the carriages
have never been sold less than the regular
prison price, and we quote from one Of the
largest Portland manufaeturers ADVERTISE
ment, which we hnd In the Portland Adver-
tiser OF May y, 1886, to show that the price
Is more than better carriages can be made
for, as follows:
1--WE guarantee these carriages very superior An
style, finish and quality to the carriages made BY
convict labor and called hrstcass, and prices are
very much to1cer."
If his guarantee Is good for anything, In
May his statement that prison carriages are
being sold at such prices as are disastrous 10
business, and injurious to skilled labor In
December Is false In May he boldly and pub
hcly guarantees to sell better carriages for less
money and inDecemberh he cries ruinous prices
and skilled labor TO drive a competition out
Of the market. How does he treat his own
skilled labor by going to other States and
buying carriages by the car load, bringing
them to his own shop to compete with his
own workmen? He win, probably, claim
that ne IS driven to do this to compete with
coRuict labor, but large proportion Of the
carriages he brought from out Of the State
were double carriages and not one double
carriage built by the Maine Prison has been
sold in Portland for two years. IL he cannot
build as many carriages as he himself can
sell fail 10 see his cause for comDlaint
There Is no reason why he should be allowed
to use the cry Of ruinous prices and convict
labor to drive competition out Of his Market
Regarding the amount Of competition the
ufacturers and dealers we find by the books
Of the Mart that the sales oflprison.earriage
were less than 25 per cent. Of the total sales
In 1886, and could not have been more than
five to 10 per cent. of the total sales Of Port
land. Il. D. BAILEY & Co.